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Long-term Care
Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, pursuant to his answer of 18 May 1999, Official Report, column 321, concerning long-term care, if his Department will assist interested bodies in promoting a full public debate on the findings of the Royal Commission. [85057]
Mr. Hutton: The Royal Commission's report has already stimulated an important debate on this complex issue and the Department has been happy to assist that, as well as responding to the hundreds of contributions received in correspondence from individuals and organisations. We will continue to take account of the views of all interested parties and use these to inform decisions we make on the proposals over the coming months.
Cancer Treatment Initiatives
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to co-ordinate a meeting to discuss new cancer treatment initiatives. [85078]
Mr. Hutton: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister gave my hon. Friend the Member for Shrewsbury and Atcham (Mr. Marsden) on 20 May 1999, Official Report, columns 401-02.
Medical Student Places
Dr. Gibson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish his list of new medical student places. [85079]
Mr. Denham: Allocation of student places to universities in England is the responsibility of the Higher Education Funding Council for England. The Funding Council is working with my Department to produce recommendations for the allocation of additional medical student places, and an announcement is expected in the next few weeks.
Investing in Dentistry
Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what reasons underlay the refusal of the bid for funding under the Investing in Dentistry scheme submitted by Paul Carlin of Shipley Bridge, South Brent, Devon; [84078]
- (2) how many dental practices in England and Wales have received funding under the Investing in Dentistry project in each year since its inception; and if he will provide a breakdown of what it has been spent on. [84206]
Mr. Denham:
The Investing in Dentistry (IID) initiative only applied to General Dental Services in England. IID was launched in September 1997 and continued until April this year. Requests for funding could be submitted to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State at any time during this period. To date, 282 IID funding requests have been approved, primarily to help towards the cost of opening new dental practices, relocating existing practices to larger premises, and providing extra surgeries. A further 140 are currently being assessed.
24 May 1999 : Column: 20
Mr. Carlin's Investing in Dentistry funding request was refused because it did not meet the requirements of the IID scheme. The criteria used in deciding on proposals is set out in the circular Health Service Guidance (97) 38, copies of which are available in the Library.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the average cost of four years' care in a nursing home. [75527]
Mr. Hutton:
The average cost of four years' care in a nursing home for elderly people is estimated to be £73,000.
Mr. Field:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) those people who have been in long-term care or nursing homes for four years or more and (b) all people in long-term care or nursing homes continue to pay part or all of their fees. [75528]
Mr. Hutton:
Information is not collected in the form requested, but we estimate that about 9 per cent. of people in nursing homes make no contribution to the cost of their care as they have been placed by the National Health Service. All others contribute in part or in full.
Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment his Department has made of (a) the social costs and benefits of Aricept for Alzheimer's patients and (b) the savings in respite and other long-term care resulting from the use of Aricept. [84274]
Mr. Hutton:
The Department has made no such assessment.
The Health Technology Assessment (HTA) programme is considering a research project looking at "new drugs for dementia". Full proposals will be considered at a specially convened meeting in June which will include Professor Tom Walley (Chair of the HTA pharmaceutical Panel) and Professor Kent Woods (Director of HTA). Due account will be taken of the findings of the AD 2000 project, a large trial organised through West Midlands National Health Service Regional Office, which has included consideration of the social costs and benefits of Aricept for Alzheimer's disease and the savings in respite and other long-term care resulting in the use of Aricept.
Mr. Hammond:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what cost benefit analysis his Department has carried out or draws upon to inform its current policy towards the supply of digital hearing aids through the NHS. [84304]
Mr. Hutton:
Digital technology in hearing aids is very new so at this stage only manufacturers' evaluations are available and there is no independent cost benefit analysis. National Heath Service trusts purchase hearing aids from a range that is supplied by the NHS Supplies Authority and they may also purchase hearing aids from commercial suppliers to meet individual clinical need.
24 May 1999 : Column: 21
Mr. Malins:
To ask the Attorney-General if he will place in the Library copies of the external legal advice taken by Her Majesty's Government on the legality of the present NATO operations against Serbia. [85076]
The Attorney-General:
Any legal advice taken by Her Majesty's Government on this, or on any other matter, is subject to legal privilege and thus confidential.
Postal Services (Pathway Scheme)
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) if he will make a statement on the implications for the Post Office of the Pathway Scheme; [84051]
- (2) what evaluation he has made of the role of information technology in developing postal and other services in rural areas; [84054]
(3) what evaluation he has made of the benefits of the Pathway project for the viability of sub-post offices. [84052]
Mr. Byers [holding answers 13 May 1999]: The Government today reached agreement in principle with ICL about the continuation of the Horizon project to computerise the Post Office network and automate the payment of benefits.
The changes to the Horizon project are aimed to put it on a sustainable footing for the future and allow the Post Office to move as quickly as possible to the computerisation of post office counter services.
The main elements of the agreement are:
24 May 1999 : Column: 22
Ms Harman:
To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Bolton West, (Ms Kelly) of 12 May 1999, Official Report, columns 145-46, on parental leave, what estimate he has made of the average length of leave which will be taken by (a) mothers and (b) fathers. [85090]
Mr. Ian McCartney:
For the purposes of the Regulatory Impact Assessment for the Employment Relations Bill, it was assumed that the average length of leave for those taking parental leave would be ten weeks for mothers and for fathers. A copy of the Regulatory Impact Assessment was placed in the Library of the House.
First, we will be moving forward as planned, as quickly as possible with the automation of Post Office Counter services. For the first time ever, Post Offices will have an up to date automation platform, helping them to provide a better service to their customers, and representing a major investment in the future of the nationwide network of Post Offices.
We have agreed with ICL to remove the magnetic strip benefit payment card from the project. Given the delays, this is now an outdated concept and the Banks, among others, are already moving away from magnetic strip in favour of the next generation technology--the smart card. For the future, we intend to move from the traditional paper-based methods of payment to a more modern and efficient way of paying benefits through the Post Office network, building on banking technology. POCL and DSS/BA will be working together on plans to introduce the new arrangements in 2003. The Government can give an assurance that those benefit recipients who wish to collect their benefits in cash at Post Offices will continue to be able to do so.
In the interim, we will be using bar-coding on order books to tackle benefit fraud. This will provide savings of around £100 million a year, a saving originally promised by the last administration but not yet delivered.
We and ICL believe the target of achieving the computerisation of the network of 18,000 Post Offices by the end of 2001 is more realistic. This will give customers a better service and help to secure a viable future for the network of Post Offices.
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